WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Phlebodium aureum (Polypodium aureum), WUCOLS IV

How often to water rabbit's foot fern in California

In July on the north-central coast, established rabbit's foot fern in loam needs a deep watering about every 9 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 1.1 gallons a week. Rabbit's foot fern, also sold as golden polypody, is an evergreen fern with large, deeply lobed fronds in gray-green to blue-green. They rise 2 to 3 feet from thick creeping rhizomes covered in furry brown scales. It grows best in bright shade and soil that stays moist but never soggy. It copes with some drying between waterings, though it grows fuller with steady moisture.

PerennialRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water rabbit's foot fern, month by month

Your city
Plant width
2 ft
Your soil

Type your city above and the days between waterings and the gallons appear here, worked out from your city's climate table. Or read the figures by climate zone further down.

Every month, on your water days. The personal plan prints this for rabbit's foot fern and the rest of your yard, on the days your water supplier allows.Get the plan for $19

How this is worked out: established roots fill the top 1 foot of soil, and you water again when that soil has dried halfway. Loam soil holds about 1.5 inches of water per foot. Water the whole area the plant covers, and skip a watering after a good soaking rain.

Which soil do you have?

Dig down a few inches, take a handful of moist soil and squeeze it.

  • Sandy: gritty, falls apart when you open your hand, will not form a ball.
  • Loam: forms a soft ball that crumbles when you poke it.
  • Clay: forms a firm, sticky ball and squeezes out into a ribbon between thumb and finger.

Still not sure? Pick loam. Most garden beds sit between sand and clay.

How to measure plant width

A shrub with its width marked from one side to the other and the circle under it shaded blue

Measure across the plant, from the tips of the leaves on one side to the tips on the other.

Water the whole area the plant covers, shown in blue. The gallons here cover that area.

A wider plant means more gallons each watering, not more waterings. While it is young, measure again each spring.

How to tell it needs water

  • Soil or mix dry an inch or two down around the rhizomes means the fern is ready for water
  • Fronds curling inward are a common sign of underwatering or dry air, so check the soil first
  • Fronds browning over moist soil usually point to air that is too dry rather than thirsty roots
  • Tiny dark flies around a damp pot are often fungus gnats, which thrive where the mix stays too wet
  • Soil that stays soggy for days puts the fern at risk of crown and root rot, so let the top dry before watering again

How to water it

  • Water the soil around the creeping rhizomes rather than pouring water onto them
  • Plant in loose, organic, slightly acidic soil that drains well and never holds standing water
  • Site it in bright shade, with no more than a little direct morning or late afternoon sun
  • Moisten the root zone a few inches down, then let the surface dry slightly before the next watering
  • Widen the watered area as the rhizomes creep outward and the clump spreads

Through the seasons

Keep a new planting evenly moist through its first summer while the rhizomes root in. An established clump tolerates some drying between waterings but looks fuller with steady moisture. The fronds are evergreen, so it draws water all year, most of all in summer warmth. Winter rain covers the cool months on the coast. It has come through short cold spells down to about 25 degrees F, so shelter it from harder frost. WUCOLS rates rabbit's foot fern moderate water on the north-central coast, on the south coast and in South Inland. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the Central Valley, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Rabbit's foot fern is a favorite for pots and hanging baskets, where the furry rhizomes can creep over the rim. Use a loose, organic mix in a container with open drainage holes. Check the mix an inch down every few days in summer, and more often for a hanging basket in warm, dry wind. Water until it drains through, then empty the saucer so the crown does not sit wet. Indoors and in winter the mix dries more slowly, so let the top dry before watering again.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
Not ratedWUCOLS does not rate Rabbit's Foot Fern for the Central Valley zone
A year
no figure
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses

WUCOLS lists Rabbit's Foot Fern as not evaluated for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Rabbit's Foot Fern: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.37–0.780.78––
Feb0.53–0.810.87––
Mar0.87–1.151.3––
Apr1.18–1.41.61––
May1.46–1.611.95––
Jun1.61–1.742.29––
Jul1.61–1.982.51––
Aug1.49–1.862.33––
Sep1.24–1.491.86––
Oct0.87–1.151.33––
Nov0.47–0.840.9––
Dec0.31–0.650.68––
Year12–15.518.41––

How this is worked out: the WUCOLS water rating for each zone times that zone’s climate for the month. A dash means WUCOLS does not rate the plant there. The figures are what the plant uses, before sprinkler losses.

Plants with the same water needs 16

Rated not evaluated in the Central Valley, like rabbit's foot fern. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Lilyleaf LadybellsAdenophora liliifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingArnicaArnica montananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFrilly BergeniaBergenia ciliatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCabbage on a StickBrighamia insignisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBasket PlantCallisia fragransnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingForest SedgeCarex sylvaticanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingUmbrella DracaenaDianella ensifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRusty FoxgloveDigitalis ferrugineanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBig-Flowered FoxgloveDigitalis grandifloranot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingWoolly FoxgloveDigitalis lanatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingSunset FoxgloveDigitalis obscuranot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMale FernDryopteris filix-masnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAlpine Sea HollyEryngium alpinumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPurple SpurgeEuphorbia dulcisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingQueen of the MeadowFilipendula ulmarianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingDropwortFilipendula vulgaris (Filipendula hexapetala)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes rabbit's foot fern, your sprinkler type and the month, and gives the minutes per water day for that supplier's schedule. Or put it in a zone of the personal watering plan and get all twelve months printed.

Questions people ask

How often should I water rabbit's foot fern in summer?

In July, established rabbit's foot fern in loam needs a deep watering about every 7 days on the south coast and about every 6 days in the South Inland zone. Sandy soil holds less water, so waterings come closer together. Clay stretches them. Check the soil before each watering and skip one after a soaking rain.

How much water does rabbit's foot fern need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established rabbit's foot fern needs about 0.2 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 0.7 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across. Give it in deep waterings spread days apart rather than a little every day, so the whole root zone gets wet.

Does watering for rabbit's foot fern change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates rabbit's foot fern separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated in the Central Valley zone, moderate water in the South Coastal zone, moderate water in the South Inland zone, not evaluated in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, not evaluated in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

Why is it called rabbit's foot fern?

Its thick creeping rhizomes are so covered in brown scales that they look like fur. The same common name is used for several other ferns, so check the label for Phlebodium aureum. It is also sold as golden polypody, gold foot fern and hare's foot fern.

Why are my rabbit's foot fern fronds turning brown?

Browning fronds usually mean the air is too dry. Curling fronds are a common sign of low humidity combined with underwatering. Check the mix first, then move the plant out of hot, dry wind.

Can rabbit's foot fern grow indoors?

Yes, it is commonly grown as a houseplant. Give it bright light, medium to high humidity and good air circulation. Indoor pots dry more slowly than outdoor ones, so check the mix before each watering.

How cold can rabbit's foot fern get?

It has survived short frosts to about 25 degrees F in a California nursery garden, and a Florida gardener reported it coming through 18 degrees F. Treat it as a plant for nearly frost-free gardens. Move potted plants under cover on cold nights.

What pests bother rabbit's foot fern?

Watch for spider mites, thrips and fungus gnats. Fungus gnats breed in mix that stays moist, so let the surface dry between waterings. Crown rot and root rot are the main disease risks in soggy soil.

Can rabbit's foot fern take sun?

It tolerates some direct morning or late afternoon sun but grows best in bright shade. Soil in a sunnier spot dries faster, so check it more often there.

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Sources